Saturday, 12 May 2018

APOSTOLIC Faith Mission (AFM) senior Pastor Kefias Mujokeri
has approached the courts seeking an order to compel the church to call for
elections to choose new leadership.

Last week, Pastor Mujokeri filed an urgent High Court
application against AFM president Dr Aspher Madziyire and 33 overseers.

The man of cloth alleges that Dr Madziyire and other church
leaders are clinging to power unconstitutionally following the expiry of their
term of office in April 2018.

“This is an application for, in the interim, a mandatory
interdict compelling or mandating the 1st respondent (AFM) to set the date for
the election of provincial workers council and the apostolic council.

“In the final, to declare the 2nd and 3rd respondents’ (Dr
Madziyire and Peter Magejo) continued stay in office unconstitutional and in
violation of the applicant’s right to protection of the law as provided by
section 56(i) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

“The 2nd and 3rd respondents’ terms of office have already
expired and they have failed, neglected and ignored to comply with the 1st
respondent’s constitution which requires a democratic election within the
election year that ended in April 2018.”

Pastor Mujokeri says Dr Madziyire’s delay to call for
elections had created a leadership vacuum.

The pastor’s argument is that for the past 100 years,
elections have always been held in the last year of an incumbent leadership’s
term to avoid a vacuum.

The AFM constitution’s clause 9.3 says elections to choose
overseers are conducted by the provincial workers council triennially to form a
provisional council composed of an overseer, deputy chair and secretary.

Clause 13.3.1 provides that provincial councils form an
electoral college to elect an Apostolic Council composed of the president,
deputy president and general secretary. These are chosen from a pool of elected
overseers.

Pastor Mujokeri says the last provincial council elections
were held in March 2015, meaning Dr Madziyire’s term ended on April 28, 2018.

“In March 2015, the first respondent held its last
provincial council elections which culminated in the election of the third
respondent together with all other overseers as provincial overseers and the
subsequent fifth re-election of the second respondent into office for a further
three-year term of office,” reads part of the application.

“As a result of the constitutional vacuum, the first
respondent and its members, including me, have been left without recourse and
the immediate past president and deputy president publicly haggling over who
has power to call for the necessary conferences to conduct elections.”

In his application, Pastor Mujokeri says some AFM members
are pushing for constitutional amendments to allow the incumbent to seek
re-election. Sunday Mail